The truth about tail draggers - Please

[Leonard_Smith_nz]

For some pilots the TD is not suitable

All,

For me the harsh reality is that for some pilots the TD is too much of a challenge to overcome. Making a determination of where your level of competence lie is not easy, always subjective and often provides an outcome we'd rather not want to hear.

I'd like to think that I have excellent motor skills honed through many years of playing sport at various levels. Still, the first few hours were tough and I couldn't get the **** thing to stop bouncing. Grrrrr..., but I perservered and now I feel comfortable and can pick up on little tell tale signs that previously, I was entirely oblivious to.

Keep the faith, but let's not kid ourselves...the TD is not for everyone.

 

[BlackRV7]

OK, I tried to stay out of this also but being a low time tailwheel pilot, and low time RV tailwheel pilot also, I love the tailwheel. I get great satisfaction out of every landing. Heck, sometimes I still get three for one so the satisfaction is three fold My 7 handles so much better wheel landing it, with these springy mains, and is now my preferred landing. Fly it onto the runway and and just work your toes............it "ain't" the beast everybody say it is, oh no, sorry TD guys, I've let the cat out of the bag.....now that I said that I may ball it up on the runway tomorrow but I have no regrets building it as a tail dragger.

Besides, side by sides look way cool as taildraggers

 

[nippaero]

This might make someone smile....Taildragger Poem

Taildragger, I hate your guts,
I have the license, ratings and such.
But to make you go straight is driving me nuts.
With hours of teaching and the controls in my clutch.
It takes a little rudder, easy, that's too much.
You see, I learned to fly in a trycycle gear
with one up front and two in the rear.
She was sleek and clean and easy to steer
But this miserasble thing with tires ans struts
Takes a little rudder, easy, that's too much.
It demands your attention on the take-off roll
or it heads towards Jone's as you pour on the coal.
Gotta hang loose, don't over control.
This wicked little plane is just too much.
With a lot of zigzagging and words obscene
I think I've mastered this slippery machine
It's not that bad if you have the touch
Just a little rudder, easy, that's too much.
I relax for a second and from the corner of my eye,
I suddenly realize with a gasp and a cry
That's my own tail that's going by.
You grounding looping wreck; I hate your guts,
Give a little rudder, Great Scott, THAT'S TOO MUCH!
-Author Unknown

 

[attson]

Tail Wheel

I know I'll be flamed for this but here it is:

All modern fighters are tricycles

Except for a few specialties (aerobatics, bush planes etc.) all certified airplanes are built with nose wheel.

There are and many reasons while many more planes are built with nose wheel than planes with tail wheel

flying a plane is very cool...flying an RV is very very cool ...how much cooler do you want to be ?

ground looping a plane is not cool.....having to sweat each time you attempt to land is not cool....having to divert because of cross wind while other planes with nose gear can land is not cool (and not convenient either)...


A few times I was told that real pilots do not fly with nose wheel. I chuckle and walk away...a safe flight every time I get in the plane is satisfying enough for me..

your mileage may vary

 

[yakdriver]

I have around 3000hrs 2000tw and I feel very comfortable in any kind of conditions in a tailwheel airplane. Truth be known a lot of tailwheel airplanes can handle a larger crosswind component than a trike. I have also flown most of the airplanes that are considered groundloops waiting to happen (T-6, N3N, Luscoume, Pitts) and found them straight forward airplanes and not that hard to fly. The name of the game is to get enough practice to keep your skills up and then its no big deal. I don't flame anyone or demean them for flying tri gear airplanes but find that most of the pilots that say things about ground looping etc. have never flown a tailwheel airplane. Don

 

[Mel]

DON'T BUILD A TAILWHEEL AIRPLANE!

Unless you have thousands and thousands of tail wheel hours, you won't be able to handle it. Leave the tail wheels to us "big boys".

 

[n5lp]

I know I'll be flamed for this but here it is:

All modern fighters are tricycles

Except for a few specialties (aerobatics, bush planes etc.) all certified airplanes are built with nose wheel.

And ag planes and sport planes. Notice a trend? Areas of aviation where performance, simplicity and utility are important.

ground looping a plane is not cool.....having to sweat each time you attempt to land is not cool....

I agree that it would not be cool at all to sweat each time you attempted to land. If I felt anything like that I would not be flying the airplane I am. If you would feel that way in a tailwheel airplane, then that is not the plane for you.

having to divert because of cross wind while other planes with nose gear can land is not cool (and not convenient either)...

This has never happened to me yet, but I guess I won't be crazy about it if it ever does.

I am a bit baffled by the emotion this issue brings out. I sure don't care what kind of landing gear someone else prefers. Why should anyone care? Each type has some advantages and disadvantages and some of us just plain prefer one over the other. I don't judge an aviator by the landing gear he/she prefers but I might make that an element when judging if we have similar affinities.

For just about all of us this RV flying is just for fun. Personally I wouldn't have near as much fun in an airplane with the type landing gear that is not my own preference.

There is also a neat side benefit. Since I am comfortable flying airplanes with this type of gear, it opens up very nice possibilities to fly interesting old airplanes that only come in one configuration, and that configuration is one I am very comfortable with.

 

[mgomez]

I've got about 1200-1300 hours, which is not a huge number, but enough to form some pretty firm habits that might be hard to break - before breaking the airplane.

It depends on whether your habits are good habits or bad habits

I have 950 hrs, of which 85 are in taildraggers (Cub and Citabria/Decathlon.)

If you are a meticulous pilot who:

- is active on the controls and tolerates no sideways drift on landing,
- is able to fully stall the airplane shortly before touchdown,
- positions the controls properly while taxiing in wind,
- taxis at a slow, deliberate speed,
- is gentle on the brakes,
- responds to and can anticipate the yaw on takeoff due to crosswind, P-factor, gyroscopic precession, etc.

...then the transition will be fun and painless. If not, then you'll spend a bit of dual time correcting the deficiency, and then the transition will be fun and painless.

It's just another airplane. It's not like you're learning to fly a helicopter or something.

 

[McFly]

Crawling from out from the woodwork

having to sweat each time you attempt to land is not cool....having to divert because of cross wind while other planes with nose gear can land is not cool (and not convenient either)...

This is how rumors get started. Build what you want to build for whatever reason(s) float your boat but don't think for a moment that a TG can't handle a cross wind.

Flying taildraggers is like any skill. It takes some knowledge, some training and some practice. In the end it ain't that big of a deal guys.


Back to the woodwork

 

[allbee]

A few times I was told that real pilots do not fly with nose wheel. I chuckle and walk away...a safe flight every time I get in the plane is satisfying enough for me..

when I get my nose wheel plane done I'll challange any of those boys in anything they think they can do better.

 

[allbee]

Oh and by the way, my definition of a pilot is a guy that sits on the ground and talks big talk and has his airplane sitting out front his hanger for everybody to see.

 

[L.Adamson]

Unless you have thousands and thousands of tail wheel hours, you won't be able to handle it. Leave the tail wheels to us "big boys".

I flew thousands and thousands of tail wheel R/C. Does that count?

L.Adamson --- RV6A

 

[allbee]

5000+ touch and go's in a tail wheel last year does that count.

 

[Geico266]

Oh and by the way, my definition of a pilot is a guy that sits on the ground and talks big talk and has his airplane sitting out front his hanger for everybody to see.

Cussing is not allowed here at VAF, not by pilots, fliers, or builders of 7a's.

 

[Jaypratt]

My Story

Steve,

I started in C150s, after 20 or so hours, I bought a C172 a 1959. Every time I landed that plane I was thinking tail wheel landing. MOTIVATED to have one, loved WWII fighters. Dancing on the rudders, tail low, instructor asking ,what are you doing? Dreaming to have a tail wheel C180 or some thing.
Motivation is a big factor in most endeavors,,,, you motivated? You wont have a problem. Peer pressure? to hek with them get a nose wheel. Still a good choice in any RV series...you will love it .

 

[joe gremlin]

ground looping a plane is not cool.....having to sweat each time you attempt to land is not cool....having to divert because of cross wind while other planes with nose gear can land is not cool (and not convenient either)...

I suppose you're right. Funny thing is, I've never once had to sweat a landing in a TW. Never ground looped either. While I have diverted to other airports because of crosswinds, that was in a nose dragger. Never had to do it in TW even though I've flown TW in winds that kept most NW weekend warriors on the ground.

I'm not proud of any of this nor do I consider myself an above average stick. Obviously I wasn't born being TW proficient. In fact I didn't get into a TW plane until I had several hundred hours. So how is it that I never once had to sweat a TW landing? Well just like doing anything else in aviation, I learned in favorable conditions and gained experience in progressively more challenging conditions until I got to the point where I would land a TW on narrow runways in crosswind conditions that I wouldn't have dreamed of taking NS planes into just a year or so earlier. It's not rocket science and it certainly does not require super-human pilot skills. It just takes good training and practice.

Saying you won't fly TW because you'll always be afraid of ground looping is like saying you'll never ride bicycle without training wheels because you'll be constantly afraid that you'll fall down.

 

[fehdxl]

x-winds

Maybe this should be a new topic: the truth about cross-wind landings...but what the heck let's give it a whirl.

A few thoughts...

- until the first wheel touches the runway, TD and ND fly exactly the same.

- cross-wind capability is limited by a few design factors. (1) the bank available at touchdown (low-/long-wings have less bank capability than high-/short-wings); (2) the rudder effectiveness with only the mains on the runway; (3) the rudder & third wheel's effectiveness against cross-winds with all three wheels on the runway; (4) the ability to apply down-wind brake.

- in a TD I can probably have a faster touchdown speed than a ND because I can fly the mains on to the runway with a low angle of attack and the tail relatively high in the air. Sure, I could hit the prop if excessively tail high, but that's really excessive. In a ND I may not be able to do this because I would hit the NW first, which is bad. This faster touchdown speed and more air passing over the rudder helps with the directional control with just the mains on the runway and thus I could possibly accept more of a cross-wind component in a TD than a ND.

- in a TD with the TW on the ground, I have a larger moment arm available to offset crosswinds against the vertical surfaces than a ND. In other words, the distance from the mains to the TW is larger than the NW to mains. BTW, CG isn't a primary factor is this specific factor because the main wheels are the pivot point. I don't know how much weight is on a TW vs a NW, which would contribute to the cross-wind capability. More weight equals more friction and more acceptable force before skidding.

- in a TD, the ability to directly control the direction the TW is pointing is important. I.e. loose springs aren't as effective as a direct connection.

- the cross-wind capability of a TD during the transition from a tail-high wheel landing until lowering the TW on the runway is a big unknown. Decreasing airspeed, down-wind braking capability, maximum angle of attack that will keep weight on the mains, etc, etc are all factors that contribute, but I don't know how.

So what is my point with all of this? I guess nothing more than to illustrate the TD vs ND cross-wind landing debate is complex and the real answer about which one can withstand more cross-wind is probably: it depends. Both sides are could be right...and wrong.

-Jim
RV-10, wings

TD=tail dragger; ND=nose dragger; TW=tail wheel; NW=nose wheel

 

[pierre smith]

Maybe....

- in a TD with the TW on the ground, I have a larger moment arm available to offset crosswinds against the vertical surfaces than a ND. In other words, the distance from the mains to the TW is larger than the NW to mains.

-Jim
RV-10, wings

TD=tail dragger; ND=nose dragger; TW=tail wheel; NW=nose wheel

...but you gotta remember that the longer moment from wheels to rudder will also bite you because now the WIND has the advantage, whereas a ND airplane has a shorter wheels to rudder moment reduces the wind's advantage.

In our ag work, we never know what kinda winds the day will bring but you'd better be very willing to slide the downwind wheel with the brakes if/when the rudder just can't handle any more of the gusting and varying winds simultaneously. This is what I've seen with some newby TD pilots...an unwillingness to do whatever it takes to keep the airplane straight....full rudder if need be, then all that's left is brake...sometimes heavy with tires squealing, if that's what it takes.

The same large and effective fin and rudder on these RV's also are a bigger "sail" for the wind to catch and turn you.

Regards,

 

[BlackRV7]

Just for reading

Nice little FAQ bookmark here on tailwheel flying. Anybody else got any good ones, I squeaked another wheel landing in yesterday, just would like to read somemore to help me figure out how I'm doing it

Little dated on the regs as it was written in 2002 but good short reading.

http://www.richstowell.com/dragger.htm

 

[fehdxl]

...but you gotta remember that the longer moment from wheels to rudder will also bite you because now the WIND has the advantage, whereas a ND airplane has a shorter wheels to rudder moment reduces the wind's advantage.

Thanks Pierre, yet another factor. My point was that the 'sail of a tail' had to be controlled by either the NW, which is a few feet in front of the mains; or a TW which is many feet aft of the mains.

To your point, the mains are maybe a foot or so more forward on a TD than a ND, thus increasing the moment of the 'tail sail'.

Thanks!

-Jim

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention one of the best training aids. Next time you're at the store, push a heavily loaded cart backwards. Start a turn and you'll get the idea of the forces at work in a TD.

 

[n5lp]

Thanks Pierre, yet another factor. My point was that the 'sail of a tail' had to be controlled by either the NW, which is a few feet in front of the mains; or a TW which is many feet aft of the mains....

Keep in mind that the tricycle gear RVs as well as many other modern aircraft have no nosewheel steering so the NW doesn't have a significant role in directional control.

 

[jdeas]

Since you're in SoCal... I agree. Here's a link: http://www.cpaviation.com/

I don't have a tail-wheel endorsement yet... and plan on building a tricycle... but started getting some tail dragger time for the added experience and skills. I can vouch for CP Aviation. I got a couple hours there recently while on a trip in the area. Very impressed with their program. First time in a tail-dragger... first time with a stick... the only trouble I had was my face getting tired of the grin. The C-172 is a truck compared to a Decathlon! And I hear if you can land a Decathlon... the RV tail-draggers are no problem. But as everyone here is saying... you gotta learn to use your feet... and really stay on top of it from start-up to shut down. DJ

Got my training at CP as well. Get one of the instructors to take you up and judge for yourself. After 25hrs in their Citabria, I converted my 7a kit to a 7.....

 

[dhammer]

Nice little FAQ bookmark here on tailwheel flying. Anybody else got any good ones, I squeaked another wheel landing in yesterday, just would like to read somemore to help me figure out how I'm doing it

Little dated on the regs as it was written in 2002 but good short reading.

http://www.richstowell.com/dragger.htm

Thanks for the good references.

I'll qualify my comments by saying I'm a low time TD pilot with only Citabria time. Three points were easy for me, but I had a heck of a time with wheel landings because of my natural inclination to pull back on the stick when the wheels touched. I'd been flying gliders a bunch, so I already knew what rudders were for.

My very wise instructor told me to carry a bit of forward trim and just relax a bit when the mains touched. After that I greased the next 10 or so. I know in my case my NW landings improved dramatically after the TW endorsement. I just became much more aware of what the airplane was telling me. YMMV

Don

 

[N941WR]

...The C-172 is a truck compared to a Decathlon!...

And the Decathlon is a truck compared to an RV!

 

[rtry9a]

Keep in mind that the tricycle gear RVs as well as many other modern aircraft have no nosewheel steering so the NW doesn't have a significant role in directional control.

The issue isn't steering, the issue is the relationship when the cg and the main gear wheels. In a TD, the aircraft is basically unstable on the ground and wants to swap ends when given a chance. The front wheel orientation is the stable arrangement.

 

[Rocketboy]

.... But thats not me. But I like the challenge. I like the feel, I like the hard work, I like having to think about what Im doing. I love a difficuly gusty crosswind that leaves others in the hanger.

Well Said! Have a few extra knots as a reward for your excellent attitude!


Bob

 

[wv4i]

Back to the thread starter?

I've got roughly 500 landings in 2 different RV6's. These airplanes have/had different EW CGs and thus different avg OW CGs. The CG makes a big difference in pitch stability, especially when slow, tailwheel or not. Get it aft, near the limit even, and you'll have your hands full. In the case of a tailwheel, it increases consideration of a prop strike and/or hard hit on the tailwheel if/whilst porpoising about.

I think the RV6, larger rudder or not, has a reasonable crosswind limit of 15kts, gusts included. At that condition, on touchdown, in a slip, the upwind wing tip will be as low as you'd ever want to see it, even though there is still some rudder left, even with the smaller/older style RV6 rudder. I can't imagine a much higher crosswind landing limit in an RV, unless you're trying to land in a crab, not a recommended technique for a tailwheel airplane, and a recipe for a ground loop.

I also think that if you're not starting to get the picture as to landing/takeoff of a tailwheel RV within 4-5 hours of mostly takeoffs/landings, you either need a different instructor with a different teaching technique/approach, or that you should stick with trikes. This is assuming that you can hit the numbers in a high performance airplane to begin with.

Just my thoughts after reading this thread and trying to respond to the original subject matter. Thank God we seem to have moved beyond the primer wars to tailwheel flying and the best degreaser to use (another lively thread).

 

[MattSR]

What I am wondering is how difficult the transition is for someone who has flown a bit already in a tri-gear. I'm guessing if you start off in a tail dragger its not a huge deal, or if you transition early. I've got about 1200-1300 hours......

Don't worry about it at all. Find a good instructor and get into it - once you get past the first hour or two you will LOVE tailwheel flying. I have done all my initial training in a Citabria, and if I can learn to fly one with NO experience, someone with 1300 hours will find it easy!

Bud Davisson sums it up here -> http://www.airbum.com/articles/ArticleFlyAnything.html

According to him its more about attitude and training than being born with Chuck Yeager's flying ability

 

[taloft]

Thanks, Matt. That was a really interesting link.

 

[Kiwi]

What I am wondering is how difficult the transition is for someone who has flown a bit already in a tri-gear. I'm guessing if you start off in a tail dragger its not a huge deal, or if you transition early.

.

What's the saying? YMMV? My dad did tailwheel conversion instruction for many years in Super Cubs. He said once, some you'd let them off on their own after a half hours dual, yet others would be still struggling with it after 12 or 14 hours.

You won't find out unless you do it.

Cheers,
Andrew.

 

[CNEJR]

This is an old.........

thread, but very interesting. I have never flown anything but TW, I'm going to be interested to fly a NG airplane, TW sure keeps your attention as a new pilot.

If I can do it, anyone can.

 

[N941WR]

thread, but very interesting. I have never flown anything but TW, I'm going to be interested to fly a NG airplane, TW sure keeps your attention as a new pilot.

If I can do it, anyone can.

I have a friend who is an LSA pilot that learned in a J-3. He has been flying since the start of the LSA program and told me the other day that he has to get a nosewheel endorsement.

 

[yakdriver]

I have a friend who is an LSA pilot that learned in a J-3. He has been flying since the start of the LSA program and told me the other day that he has to get a nosewheel endorsement.

I don't know why. If you fly a tricycle with tailwheel technique it works perfect. I've always said, teach two pilots from scratch,one ina C140 and one in a C150. They will solo in about the same amount of time but the 140 driver will be able to fly the 150 with no additional instruction at all. The 150 driver will require 5-10 hours more instruction to be able to solo the 140. Don

 

[Peter.Fruehling]

I've always said, teach two pilots from scratch,one ina C140 and one in a C150. They will solo in about the same amount of time but the 140 driver will be able to fly the 150 with no additional instruction at all. The 150 driver will require 5-10 hours more instruction to be able to solo the 140. Don

AMEN!!! How can you argue with that?!?

 

[blandess]

Think of it this way...

First of all I want to admit that I do not have a TW endorsement yet. I am in the process of adding that one, plus HP and complex. With that said, I will give my thoughts on the approach of something challenging. The analogy I like is related to shooting a rifle at a target any distance away. When you see the target, you don't shoot AT THE TARGET, you shoot AT THE CENTER and see nothing else. So, if the centerline is what I need to be on then I see nothing else, just the centerline as my point of arrival (yes I pay attention to my surroundings...). If I need pointed STRAIGHT down the runway then that is where I will be pointed. I believe we all have the tools needed to fly a TW. We were all taught what the rudder, elevator, ailerons, and throttle do. If you don't like the feel of the landing, if you are not straight and on centerline, go around. I was complimented more than once by my instructor when I went around .5 mile from EOR because it did not look good and was not stable. Another motivating thing for me is WWII fighters. Imagine if I had a chance to grab a fistful of supercharged V12 and "couldn't" fly a TW... I would probably cry! You can do this. Build your TW, learn to fly it. Everyone please keep in mind that I DO NOT have my TW endorsement so this may all be a bunch of BS. Correct as necessary.

 

[flyguy6a]

Insurance Diff, anyone know? No guessing!

I learned to fly on draggers, soloing a PA-12 at the then common 8hrs. Put around 300 hrs on before switching to trikes and never looked back.

When I decided to build an RV, being cheap built a -6a because of insurance costs. Someone out there must have a handle on the current diff between nose dragger and TD? If so, please report in...

As a couple others have pointed out, T Draggers LOOK COOL specially the RV-8's. I can find no substantial reason other than that to have one...

Nomex installed and waiting...

Cheers,

 

[L.Adamson]

Okay, okay..............I admit it!!!!!

I put that danged nose wheel on the RV to see what's in front of me at all times! I've been in a Pitt's and Stearman enough times to know that the front view sometimes disappears!

I even know that certain things (such as little tractors) will even disappear from view in front of tail wagging RV's!

Besides,.....the Pitt's that I was receiving aerobatic instruction in, hit a plane hauling tractor too. It had to be dismantled & sent back to the factory. And along with it.... went my continuing education of taildraggers....

L.Adamson --- RV6A

 

[JonJay]

Sort of....

First of all I want to admit that I do not have a TW endorsement yet. I am in the process of adding that one, plus HP and complex. With that said, I will give my thoughts on the approach of something challenging. The analogy I like is related to shooting a rifle at a target any distance away. When you see the target, you don't shoot AT THE TARGET, you shoot AT THE CENTER and see nothing else. So, if the centerline is what I need to be on then I see nothing else, just the centerline as my point of arrival (yes I pay attention to my surroundings...). If I need pointed STRAIGHT down the runway then that is where I will be pointed. I believe we all have the tools needed to fly a TW. We were all taught what the rudder, elevator, ailerons, and throttle do. If you don't like the feel of the landing, if you are not straight and on centerline, go around. I was complimented more than once by my instructor when I went around .5 mile from EOR because it did not look good and was not stable. Another motivating thing for me is WWII fighters. Imagine if I had a chance to grab a fistful of supercharged V12 and "couldn't" fly a TW... I would probably cry! You can do this. Build your TW, learn to fly it. Everyone please keep in mind that I DO NOT have my TW endorsement so this may all be a bunch of BS. Correct as necessary.

Most Tail Wheel accidents occur on roll out. It takes time to develop the "feel" so you know where your back side is and never, ever, quit flying the airplane until it is parked or your backside can become your front side quickly. This is where the biggest differences lie although you will become an expert in side slips and how to identify proper aileron and elevator position when you are taxiing especially in windy conditions.

 

[yakdriver]

. Another motivating thing for me is WWII fighters. Imagine if I had a chance to grab a fistful of supercharged V12 and "couldn't" fly a TW... I would probably cry! You can do this. Build your TW, learn to fly it. Everyone please keep in mind that I DO NOT have my TW endorsement so this may all be a bunch of BS. Correct as necessary. [/quote]

There is nothing in this world like your first take off in a Mustang as PIC. The power, noise and torque are sensory overload. After a couple more it is just a pure rush. Don

 

[L.Adamson]

There is nothing in this world like your first take off in a Mustang as PIC. The power, noise and torque are sensory overload. After a couple more it is just a pure rush.

I haven't took off as PIC in a P-51 Mustang, but have had the thrill of riding in one thanks to an old friend "Russ McDonald" who owned one. After he passed away, this aircrafty unfortunately met it's demise in Idaho.........but is supposeably being rebuilt. Really wasn't much left of it. The P-51 is, and will always be my favorite aircraft of all time.

As to tail draggers, my father actually had one for a short period of time. It (a BT13) was at the Twin Falls airport, back in the Charlie Reeder days. These were war surplus, and Charlie taught my father to fly. We'd go to the airport often when I was a kid, and there'd be war surplus parts all over the place.

L.Adamson

 

[yakdriver]

I haven't took off as PIC in a P-51 Mustang, but have had the thrill of riding in one thanks to an old friend "Russ McDonald" who owned one. After he passed away, this aircrafty unfortunately met it's demise in Idaho.........but is supposeably being rebuilt. Really wasn't much left of it. The P-51 is, and will always be my favorite aircraft of all time.

As to tail draggers, my father actually had one for a short period of time. It (a BT13) was at the Twin Falls airport, back in the Charlie Reeder days. These were war surplus, and Charlie taught my father to fly. We'd go to the airport often when I was a kid, and there'd be war surplus parts all over the place.

L.Adamson

Larry, Are you any relation to Bob Adamson that had Aerotronics Model shop here in Twin? I know the Reeders quite well and my Uncle bought three of Charlie's TBMs. We also had a SNJ and a N3N. That Mustang is flying again and based in Rexburg. Don

 

[L.Adamson]

Larry, Are you any relation to Bob Adamson that had Aerotronics Model shop here in Twin? I know the Reeders quite well and my Uncle bought three of Charlie's TBMs. We also had a SNJ and a N3N. That Mustang is flying again and based in Rexburg. Don

Not related, that I know of. My fathers family were all from Murtaugh. I was born in '51 at the old Twin Falls hospital. Great news about the P51!
BTW----- if you ever notice that "exceptional" looking RV6A with invasion strips from above.............it's mine. We often go to Jackpot, Nevada for brunch, and fillup at Gooding. I always overfly a portion of Twin Falls, just out of Class D airspace for the memories of my home town.

L.Adamson --- RV6A

 

[Robert M]

The truth about tailwheels

All I can offer is my truth, and that truth is - I'm building a taildragger, an RV-9. I've never flown one before but I'm gonna own one. As some people have mentioned - they look cool, and, that is an opinion. Is that what I'm after - partly. Some RV builders go with the sliding canopy because, in their opinion, it looks "cool", but I'm building a tip-up - has notyhing to do with esthetics. As for insurance, I haven't looked into that at all. I'm building the plane that I want - that's one of the many reasons I'm building.

Build your plane.

 

[L.Adamson]

- they look cool, and, that is an opinion. Is that what I'm after - partly. Some RV builders go with the sliding canopy because, in their opinion, it looks "cool",

It IS cool, as in temperature on hot sweaty days...

That's why I have one. I live in a summer desert.

L.Adamson --- RV6A